Normal Family
by Raefire6
Summary: Raphael woke up in the backseat of a car with absolutely no memory of who he was or how he got there. Not AU, but see if you can guess what happened.
1. Chapter 1

Raphael woke up in the backseat of a car with absolutely no memory of who he was or how he got there. It wasn't an awakening like he had previously been asleep and just now his amber-colored eyes opened. It was like he had never even existed before that moment and suddenly he was there, aware and very confused. To his knowledge, his eyes had never even closed, let alone have reopened. He just wasn't there and the next second he was, amber eyes scanning his surroundings and trying to make sense of what his brain was telling him. All in one moment, he became aware of the leather seat underneath him, the blurred shapes of trees and landscape passing the view of the rolled-up window on his right, cracked open just enough at the top for the wind to lightly blow his raven-colored hair into his eyes.

He blinked once, then twice, trying to force his mind to move as quickly as the car he was in, wanting it to grant him information that seemed to slip right out of his grasp. He knew his name was Raphael, though he had no idea how. It was the one piece of information that was allowed into his focus and it somehow felt right when he thought of himself as such. Raphael. That's all he was, he couldn't even remember how old he was. Not that that was the most pressing problem at the moment.

"Hey Raph, you okay?" A voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he instinctively looked to the stranger in the driver's seat. Warm-colored eyes similar to his own looked back at him through the rearview mirror. They narrowed in concern when he didn't answer right away.

"You're not getting sick, are you?" The deep voice spoke again, edged slightly in concern. "You know, you don't have to go if you don't want to, Bud. There's always next year."

Raphael blinked again in confusion, trying to draw enough information from his fuzzy mind to create a response. He concluded that 'Raph' was short for 'Raphael' so the man was indeed speaking to him. What he couldn't figure out, however, was who this man was and how he knew Raph's name. Heck, he wanted to know what he was doing in this stranger's car driving to who-knows-where and why the heck couldn't he remember anything?

It was all getting very frustrating and Raph could feel his anger boil at every passing second he remained without answers. With no idea how to answer, his mouth decided to answer for him.

"Why are you carrying a gun?"

Raphael frowned at the question that had slipped his lips and just then did it register the small glint of metal at the man's side. Did he see that before? He must have or he wouldn't have asked about it. He waited to see the man's reaction.

To his surprise, the man automatically started laughing, sliding his hand subconsciously to his side where the gun lay.

"Good one, kiddo." He chuckled. "You almost had me there. Well, if you're joking then you must be fine. I'm going to miss that dry sense of humor these next eight weeks, though."

Raph was still confused as heck, but he suddenly found himself smirking. It felt good making the man laugh and Raphael had a feeling that it didn't happen often: the man laughing or him saying something funny enough to make someone laugh. He didn't know what was particularly funny about his question, but then again he also didn't know why he had asked it to begin with. He had enough sense to know that guns were dangerous and guns could kill/injure people, but for some reason he wasn't fazed at all by them. For reasons he couldn't explain, Raphael was certain that if a gun was shot at him that he would be able to handle it. Not that he felt this man would ever shoot at him, though.

Suddenly and without warning, the car came to a stop and Raph realized they had reached their destination. The man quickly got out of the driver seat and walked around the car to open Raphael's door for him. Raph hesitated for a second but, deciding he had nothing to lose, stepped out of the car.

The first thing that washed over him was the smell. The scent of dry, cracked wood, pine leaves and lake water filled his nose and for a moment a flash of an old withered farmhouse lit up his memory, before fading just as quickly. Raph blinked rapidly, becoming dizzy as the aroused memory came and went from his brain.

"Whoa there, Buddy." The man was suddenly beside him, grabbing his shoulders to steady him before Raph even realized he was swaying. The dizziness passed quickly, along with the memory, and Raphael found himself looking up into the man's concerned face.

"Maybe you should stay home, Raph." The guy said slowly. "You don't look so good."

Raphael found himself shaking his head before he could figure out why. "No," he answered, again without thinking. "I'm good."

The man didn't seem convinced, but he let it slide anyway. He shrugged. "If you say so, Bud. But remember it's just summer camp, nothing to get sick over."

Raph looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Summer camp? He thought with surprise. _That's_ where they were? Now that he thought about it, there were plenty of kids moving about and making enough noise for this to be a social setting of teenagers.

He blinked. That's what he was, right? A teenager?

"Hey Alex!"

A new voice startled him out of his thoughts and Raphael's eyes immediately settled on a young woman who was approaching them, smiling and waving. The man by his side instantly reddened as the woman stopped right next to them.

"Hey Emma," He replied, his voice rising just a little higher than before.

Raph felt himself roll his eyes.

'Emma', as she was apparently named, smiled even wider at his greeting. Her blue eyes then focused on Raph.

"This must be Raphael." She said sweetly, eyeing him up and down.

Raph stiffened under her gaze, a small voice in the back of his mind screaming at him that the gaze could only cause him harm and the he should run, attack, do something. He held his ground though, his uncertainty about the whole situation forcing him to wait and see what happened, if only to discover more information.

"Yeah, this is him." Alex answered for him when Raph remained silent. "We call him Raph, though 'hothead' and 'kiddo' works too. He usually is pretty talkative…" he trailed off, glancing at Raph in a concerned manner.

"He's probably just nervous." Emma said cheekily and Raph decided then that he really didn't like her. "This is his first year here, right? Why such the long wait? You could have afforded for him to come at twelve-years-old."

Alex sighed. "I've wanted to, but there have been…" He glanced at Raph again. "… complications."

He then chuckled. "But hey, what do you expect from my only son, huh?"

Alarm bells went off in Raphael's head. Son? _Son!_ Raph was… this man's son?

He closed his eyes as another wave of dizziness and memories washed over him. The words 'my son' were familiar, as familiar and comforting as his own skin, but not from Alex and certainly not with the word 'only' in the middle of them. He didn't know how he knew this, but Raph was certain that he wasn't an only child, wasn't an only _son_, and that Alex wasn't his father.

_Father_… there was another word that held meaning, so much emotional and physical, but Raph didn't understand why. What he did understand, though, was that if Alex wasn't his father that meant that Raphael wasn't his son, which meant that Raph didn't belong with him, summer camp or not.

He narrowed his eyes. He needed to find a way to escape, to get away.

Emma smiled again and Raph had to hold off his sudden urge to sock her in the face.

"Well," She yipped, as if she was an annoying puppy. "Complications or not, we are all very glad to have Raph join us this year. We have plenty of other sixteen-year-olds that this is their first year as well, so he should fit right in."

Raphael scowled, though he supposed he should thank her for telling him how old he was. He still didn't like her though.

Alex nodded, smiling at her and glancing at Raph out of the corner of his eye. "Okay kiddo, I think this is it. Anything else you need from your old man before I take off? Your stuff has already been sent to your cabin."

_Yeah_, Raph thought bitterly. _Tell me where's my real old man?_

But he said nothing, merely giving a small shake of his head in response.

"Alright then," Alex finally turned towards him and, to Raph's great surprise, pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

"You have fun, Buddy. If anything goes wrong, you can call me and I'll be here to pick you up, morning, noon or night. Okay?"

Raphael was just about to shove the man off him, when he heard the sincerity of his words. Alex may not be his real father, but he certainly cared for him. Raph closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, feeling his own arms encircle Alex in a returning hug.

"Okay," He sighed slowly. The starting of a smirk then crossed his lips. "Have fun shooting things." he teased.

Alex laughed. "You know that's a part of my job, Buddy. Can't be a policeman without it."

He released Raph from his hold and glanced at Emma. "Take care of my kid, Babe. I'm glad you two will finally be able to spend some time together."

Emma smiled, slipping her arm through Raph's and pulling him close. "So am I. It's almost a crime you've kept your girlfriend and son apart for so long. You should arrest yourself, Alex."

Raphael blinked as his "father's" "girlfriend" pulled him into a quick embrace, her eyes remaining locked on Alex's. He wanted so badly to flip her over his shoulder and pin her arms behind her back, (which for some reason he knew he could do quite easily) but the proud look in Alex's eyes as he watched them stopped him. He wasn't sure why, but even though Alex wasn't his real dad he didn't want him to be disappointed in him and Raph had a feeling that Alex really wanted his "son" to get along with Emma.

Emma seemed to sense the same need because after she broke the embrace, she planted a kiss on Raphael's cheek.

Oh man, he wanted to punch her…

Smiling and ruffling Raph's dark hair, Alex said his last good-byes and then got in his car and drove off, leaving Raph standing in the middle of a sea of teenagers with who he considered, in the ten minutes he could remember, to be the most annoying woman on the planet by his side.

Raphael was fairly certain he had never felt so completely alone.

Once Alex's car was out of sight, Emma's smile faded and her waving arm lowered quickly. She turned to Raph, frowning and raised an eyebrow.

"Now what am I going to do with you, my dear Raphael?" she asked rhetorically. "I don't suppose you could be paid off to give a good report to your father?"

Raph glared at her. "Depends," he growled. "Can you be persuaded to go jump in a lake?"

Her frown deepened and turned into what could almost have been considered a scowl. "You don't know anything about love, brat. And even less about marriage."

Raph shrugged. "Maybe. But isn't love and marriage supposed to be about more than just sex?" He smirked at her knowingly. "And I'm positive it's more than money."

Raphael wasn't certain how he knew all this, ten minutes ago he was pretty sure he didn't exist, but as his sharp eyes had caught the smile both she and Alex exchanged, the way she was stroking his arm and even as she pulled Raph into a hug her eyes had landed passed Alex to his no doubt expensive-looking car they had drove up in… well, let's just say he could put two and two together and figure out what Emma wanted. She may have Alex wrapped around her finger, but Raph could see right passed her. Almost as if he had seen her type a million times over, and maybe he has.

Emma's almost-scowl deepened and she almost looked offended. Then she suddenly smiled almost sweetly, though the ugly look in her eyes still remained.

"I guess your father has underestimated you, Raphael." She said. "You're far more grown up than he gives you credit for."

Raphael opened his mouth to correct her, tell her Alex wasn't his father but that he would defend him against the likes of her, but before he could get a word out Emma turned away and started walking the opposite direction with a flip of her dark brown hair.

"Your cabin's the third on the right." She called back over her shoulder. "And don't even think about messing with me and Alex. There's nothing you can do about it."

He watched her go, feeling a burning feeling in his stomach as his anger boiled. He wasn't sure why he felt so strongly about the whole situation, (again, Alex wasn't _really_ his father) but for some reason he felt as if it was still his responsibility to protect and defend the man when he was obviously being played.

Raph shook his head and turned towards his cabin that she had pointed out. It seemed as if he was going to be staying here, at least for a while, and would have plenty of time to deal with the problem that is Emma. The very thought brought a smile to his face as he walked up the steps and opened the door.

The place was simple, two bunk beds (four beds total) and a dresser at each end of both beds. His amber eyes settled on the grey backpack that sat on the bottom bunk on the right near the door.

Seems as if he already had a roommate.

He leaned over and glanced at the nametag stitched onto the front.

_Donatello._

Raph frowned. Not even a last name. Strange, he felt as if this bag was completely wrong for someone with that name. A different color flashed across his mind's eye and he had to blink a couple times to clear his vision.

"Purple," he muttered, still looking at the bag. "It should be purple."

Finally tearing his eyes away from the stranger's baggage, Raphael turned to his own luggage, a dark black backpack that sat on the bottom bed of the bunk across from the one Donatello had chosen. He knew it was his because of the red letters of his name scribbled across the front.

Sighing, Raph walked over to what would apparently now be his bed and plopped down next to his bag. It was then that it occurred to him that, although he had woken up less than an hour ago with absolutely no memory of who he was or what he was doing, he was surprisingly very calm and indifferent to the whole matter.

The little flashes of insight and instinct he had received since he woke up were appreciated and for some reason Raph knew they wouldn't be the last. He was going to get his memory back, that he was sure of. What he was going to do until then was less clear, but he already knew it would involve Alex and Emma. He wasn't the man's son, but he would have to pretend to be if he wanted to find any answers.

He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed again tiredly. Why did his brain feel as if it was being split in half? One side was telling him this was his life, while the more stubborn other side told him his life was something totally different, something better.

Raph leaned back onto his pillow, propping his tennis shoes upon the blankets, an action he was half expecting someone to pop up and scold him for.

Shaking his head, he brought his hand up to his face to pinch his nose in frustration, when he froze. His amber eyes scanned his pale skin across his palm and mentally counted each appendage.

He closed his eyes again and groaned.

Now he was questioning his own species. Great.


	2. Chapter 2

Donatello Evans was not having a good day. For starters, when he woke up this morning, thinking all was right in the world when he came down to breakfast, his mother was there serving pancakes to his four older siblings and they were all chatting and laughing.

This had been a serious issue for Don at that moment, not that he disliked his older siblings, it was just that whenever they visited he might as well have been invisible for all the attention he got.

Yeah, it was cool because they all were grown-up and had moved out so Donnie hardly ever got to see them (especially Susan and Jack, the eldest, who were both married and had moved out of the city) but every time they were there Donatello would be in for a non-stop discussion of all their many achievements and how he should be more like them and how proud his parents were of them and so on. Usually Don would just smile and nod whenever he was addressed, not that that was very often, and try to endure the encounter in silence.

He guessed it bugged him so much because normally he was the only child at home, being the youngest, so he had his parents all to himself. They would listen to everything he said with undivided attention, but when his elder siblings visited home it was like he didn't exist anymore. The logical part of him knew it was just because his parents missed them and didn't see them as much, but that didn't stop the seed of jealousy that grew within him at every visit.

The second downer of that morning was that Donatello hated pancakes. His mother didn't know that though, because all four of his siblings loved them and Donnie just pretended to like them to try and relate to his siblings. Sometimes he even wondered if he was related to them at all, with how different he was. The one similarity seemed to be the dark brown hair-color all five of them shared with their mother, but that was where it ended. Both his older sisters were born with dark blue eyes like their mother, and both his older brothers shared green eyes with their father. Donatello alone had dark chocolate brown eyes and this fact alone was enough to question his place among his family.

Another fact that usually placed himself as an anomaly was his interests. While his older siblings were masters of sports, music, art and theater, Donnie was good at actual academics; math, science, history. He loved working with computers and databases, and even dabbled a little bit in chemistry and medicine just because it interested him. Don excelled in every academic field he attempted, receiving straight A's on every report card, and even had already been offered several different places in colleges even though he had barely finished sophomore year of high school. He was very proud of his accomplishments and when it was just him at home so were his parents.

It was not lost on them, however, of Donnie's apparent lack of creativity, preforming and social skills that all of his older siblings had in abundance. They urged him to try out for a sports team or play or even an art club. Donnie had done as they had asked, already knowing what the result would be. He was too slow for sports, not empathetic enough for theater, the musical notes of any instrument confused the heck out of him and any "art" he created looked more like blueprints than a masterpiece.

Though his parents never said so, Don knew this disappointed them. They even tried sending him to the parties and social gatherings, but he would always end up in a corner with his nose in a book.

Jack, the eldest, was a football star and played for the NSA. Susan, second eldest, was an award winning cellist. The twins Emily and Damian were both in the art department, Emily being a sculptor (her works were displayed in almost every show in the city) and Damian being the youngest of four star actors to ever hit Hollywood.

You see his problem? His older siblings were superstars. And him… Well, he was just a nerd.

So there he was, the one thinker in a family of feelers, sitting at the breakfast table and trying really hard to retain his good mood. That, of course, didn't last long for suddenly all chatter at the table stopped and all eyes turned to him.

His mother then smiled sweetly and told Donnie that she had a surprise for him. His older siblings smiled as well and Donatello knew it wasn't going to be good.

And that was how Don was told that he was being sent to summer camp for eight weeks on the very morning he was supposed to leave. He had half-an-hour to eat, shower, dress and pack before he was being shipped to the middle of nowhere, just outside of New York City, where there was no cable, no Wi-Fi, no running water and little to no technology, where he would be staying for about two months.

Donatello was really, _really_ having a bad day.

His parents told him it would be fun and that he might even have the opportunity to finally make some friends. Don knew what that meant. It meant that since he wasn't the social butterfly his siblings were, they were going to send him away on the faint hope that he might turn out to not be socially stunted.

This irritated Donnie. He didn't need friends, he didn't even need family. All he needed was his laptop and an electrical outlet and he could change the world. He knew he could.

But there he was now, standing in the drop-off parking lot and wishing more than anything he could disappear.

"There you go, Squirt." His eldest brother Jack said, walking back over to where his youngest brother still stood. "I set your bag down on one of the beds in your cabin. I snagged a bottom bunk for you, which is always the best; though most think it's the top."

He smiled. "You ready to go get settled in?"

Donnie stared at the ground, clutching his laptop to his chest in a death-like grip. As he remained silent, his brother sighed.

"Don, look at me." Jack ordered, kneeling down so he was at eye level with his little brother. When chocolate brown eyes met his green he continued. "I know you're not thrilled about this and it was kind of brought on pretty suddenly. But you could have a lot of fun here, if you let yourself. Why, when I was at football camp-"

"Stop," Donnie muttered forcefully, glaring at him. "Stop right there, Jack. I'm not you. I've never been you, or Susan, or Emily or Damian. I don't see why that is so hard to understand."

Jack blinked. "We know that Don, it's just-"

"Just nothing," Donnie interrupted. He quickly took a step around his brother, grimacing as his good sneakers were instantly covered in dirt. He forced himself to keep walking forward, towards his cabin and away from his super-star brother.

He glanced over his shoulder. "And the name's _Donatello_… Only Mom and Dad can call me Don. Good-bye, Jack. Have a nice life."

He barely heard Jack sigh behind him and didn't look back at the sound of his older brother climbing into his car and driving away. Unshed tears pricked at Don's eyes as he walked up the steps to the wooden cabin that would be his home for the next eight weeks. He didn't mean to be so cold to his brother. Donnie knew Jack cared for him, they all did and were just trying to do what's best for him. But it just irritated him how none of them had even bothered to ask him what he thought.

He wiped away a stray tear that had slipped down his cheek and was about to open the screen door when it swung open on its own.

Backing up just a little with a small gasp, Donnie wrapped both arms around his laptop and looked up into two amber eyes.

A boy, just a little taller than himself, stood before him, one hand leaning on the door he had just opened and the other running fingers through his raven-colored hair.

The amber eyes locked on his and a deep voice spoke. "Hey, you okay?"

Donnie blinked in confusion at the question until he noticed that his eyes were still wet with tears. He quickly wiped them away and managed a small smile.

"Yeah," He answered shakily. "Just… tired."

Don knew he must have sounded like a weepy wimp, but the boy didn't call him out on it. The dark-haired teen only nodded in response, then allowed a small smirk to curl on his lips.

"You're Donatello, right?"

Don blinked. "Yeah, hey how'd you know that?"

The boy's smirk grew larger. "Lucky guess," The smile vanished. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

Still confused by this entire conversation, Donnie only nodded.

"What's your favorite color?"

Donatello frowned. "Why would you want to know that?"

The teen shrugged. "Just wondering. We're going to be roommates for the next couple weeks so I was just trying to get to know ya."

Donnie shrugged. He'd heard worse ice-breakers. "Purple," he responded. "You?"

The boy seemed pleased with himself but frowned at Don's return question. He looked thoughtful for a few minutes, as if he couldn't remember what his favorite color was. Donnie was waiting patiently when he finally spoke.

"Red," Was his answer. "My favorite color is red."

Don smiled, though he was confused as to why the boy looked like he had just achieved a great accomplishment.

"Great," he responded. "I'm Donatello Evans, but it seems you already knew that. And you are?"

"Raphael." His new roommate answered.

"Raphael what?" Don urged, starting to get a little annoyed at how this boy was acting so strangely.

Raphael looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "What do you mean 'what'? That's my name."

Donnie rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but what's your _last_ name?"

Raphael's eyes narrowed and then they rolled. "What does it matter, Brainac? Name's Raphael or Raph. That's what friends call me."

Don's eyes widened. "What did you just call me?"

Raphael (or Raph, apparently) stopped to consider this. "Brainac," he answered. "Is there a problem with that?"

"No," Donnie said slowly. "I just don't understand why you called me that."

"Dunno." Raph answered, shrugging. "Just felt right."

Before Donatello could question him further, the dark-haired teen gestured inside. "So are we going in, or are we going to stand here all day?"

Don hesitated before shrugging and following Raph inside. He'd let the matter slide for now. It just seemed strange that a boy that he'd only known for a few minutes could already have a nickname for him, and such a specific one at that.

His face reddened slightly. Did he have _nerd_ written all over him?

"So _Brainac_," Raphael said, flashing him a teasing grin. "I saw how you took the bottom bunk. Are you afraid of heights or do you just want to be close to the electrical outlet?"

Donnie spotted his grey backpack with his name sewn on the front laying on the left bottom bunk and instantly wished his older brother had given him the top. The very last thing he needed was for his roommate, who looked like he could be playing football with Jack, to mock him like all the other jocks for being a nerd.

Seeming to take note of his silence, Raph suddenly laid a hand on Don's shoulder. "Hey, I was just joking. Honestly, I took the other bottom bunk. It's easier when you need to get out quickly, though I would have preferred a hammock."

Donnie looked up at him in surprise. "A hammock? Why is that?"

Raphael frowned. "Not sure. I just know I do."

Donatello laughed at that, his previous irritation with his family and nervousness about being mocked starting to fade. "Are you usually this clueless?" he asked.

Raph smirked. "Who you calling clueless, Brainac? I may not be able to speak geek, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid."

Don beamed at him, his smile growing bigger by the minute. He'd never heard anyone make the ability to 'speak geek' sound like a special skill or have an underlying sense of respect to it. Also, he was kind of warming up to the whole 'Brainac' business.

"And what makes you think I can? 'Speak geek', I mean." Donnie asked.

"The laptop was the first clue." Raphael answered, gesturing to the silver device that Don still had clutched to his chest.

Donatello blushed in embarrassment as he looked down at his most prized possession. "Stupid to bring it to the outdoors, I know," he admitted. "But I couldn't stand to leave it at home. It…" he paused, thinking of the proper term. "…centers me."

To his surprise, Raph didn't laugh at his sentimentality, only nodded knowingly.

"Makes sense," He responded, smiling at Don with his amber eyes glowing similarity like a flickering flame. "Though usually I would prefer something a bit more physical to center me."

Before Donnie could ask what he meant, their conversation was rather rudely interrupted by the loud crash of the screen door opening and closing, admitting a third charge into the cabin.

"Alright kids!" The newcomer announced, his voice sounding just a little too loud for Don's liking. "The Mikester is here and it is time to par-ty! Now who wants to help me with my bags?"

Both Don and Raph just stared at him for a moment, eyes widened at the newcomer's blonde curls bouncing on his head as he spoke, freckles spread across his cheeks and nose, and baby blue eyes scanning his two new roommates excitedly. In each arm he held a bag that seemed to be stuffed haphazardly to the fullest extent, articles of the clothing slipping out through the half-open zippers. The bright orange backpack that was slung over his shoulder had juice and grease stains covering it like a patchwork blanket.

For what seemed like an eternity nobody moved, all three teenagers eyeing each other as if seeing one another for the first time. The air was thick with indecision among them and it almost seemed like they all were remembering something long ago, a far off dream that they could barely reach…

"So," The blonde teen said, breaking the silence. "Do I get the top bunk?"


	3. Chapter 3

Michelangelo Daniels was having a pretty good day. He had been looking forward to summer camp ever since his parents had signed him and his younger siblings up the year before. Mikey had found out about it through an ad in the paper and, knowing how bored he had been that summer, had begged his parents to allow him to go. Eight whole weeks of camping, hiking and socializing with other teens his age sounded like absolute heaven to him and he had his bags packed a whole month in advance.

The fact that his three younger siblings, (he was the eldest, then the twins Melo and Milo, both boys and finally their baby sister Maya) were coming along with him only made the whole experience that much better. Mikey loved his siblings, loved their laughter, and loved their happiness. Sometimes he felt as if he would do anything to make them smile, and having them around him for a full eight weeks without parental supervision was a dream come true.

His parents' van was filled with singing voices as Mikey and his family drove up to the camp site, camp songs they had heard from TV, camps songs they had heard from school and camp songs they just made up on the spot. They had just about finished their ninth round of "She'll be Coming Down the Mountain When She Comes" (Melo's favorite) when they finally stopped at the drop off point.

Mikey hopped out of the van, along with his little brothers and sister, and quickly grabbed his luggage. Maya was just old enough to attend, being twelve, so she was the first to be escorted to her cabin by their mother.

They said their goodbyes quickly, knowing they would be seeing each other but not all the time because they would be sharing cabins and doing activities with the kids around their age. Melo and Milo were both thirteen and would be sharing a cabin with two other campers, so they would be led there by their father and he would help them get settled in.

As the twins started walking away with their bags, Mikey's dad quickly pulled him aside.

"You know where your cabin is, right?" Mr. Daniels asked his son. "You can get there on your own?"

"Of course, Dad." Mikey answered. "I'm fine."

His father nodded, but then grew serious. "I need you to be grown-up about this, son. Your siblings will need you and your mother and I won't be here. Try and take on some responsibility, alright Mike?"

Mikey grimaced slightly at the word _responsibility_, but didn't comment. He knew his father was just worried about him and his younger siblings, they had never been away from home for this long before, but that word always brought a never-ending amount of grief for the eldest.

He and he alone was always the one that had to be "responsible". If Milo decided it would be fun to hang from the curtains and then fell and broke a flower vase, it was because Michelangelo wasn't being _responsible_. If Melo and Maya slipped on the wet kitchen floor after spilling their juice all over it and he was in the other room playing video games, it was his responsibility to clean up the mess and take the blame. If their dog Speckles just suddenly jumped through the window and tracked mud throughout the entire house, it was somehow _his_ fault. If the microwave just decided to produce enough smoke to set off the fire alarms and the ceiling sprinklers all because he just innocently decided to put some glue in there to see what would happen…

Okay, that last one may have actually _been_ his fault. But what about the time his parents had gotten so mad when his friend Ryan had had the crazy idea to strap a shaken soda can onto his skateboard and roll it through the house…

Wait, that had been him. But what about the time his father's grill had exploded in cheese sauce everywhere because someone had decided it would be funny to hide the almost empty cans in there from the others and his parents had grounded him for two weeks…

Oh… that had been him too. Maybe he was hurting his case here, but you get his point, right? Why did he have to be responsible for everything? He loved his siblings very much, but why did their mistakes have to reflect on him? Just because he was the oldest? Who decided that?

Mikey just wanted to goof off and be himself, but his parents' increasing pressure was really starting to get to him. It was almost like they _expected_ him to mess up. His younger siblings could get away with murder, but he was always being watched like a hawk and always reminded that he needed to "_be responsible_".

To Mike it was quite understandable why he resented that word so much and as his father slipped it out just as he was about to embark on the best summer of his life, Mikey decided to be the mature one and calmly reassure his father that he need not be worried.

"_But Dad!_" He whined rather loudly. "It's summer camp! I don't have to be responsible at _summer camp!_ What are you trying to do, ruin my life?"

What? What did you expect, he _is_ Mikey after all.

Mr. Daniels frowned at the blonde boy. Mikey could tell his father's temper was spiking at that very moment but he really couldn't have cared less, never being one to back down at the peak of his complaining anyway.

"Do you really have to drop this on me now? Maya and the Twins can take care of themselves and I'll hardly ever see them! I'll be making my _own_ friends, and so will they. I've heard enough of the "responsible" speech to recite it from memory, and that's _without_ you telling me it a thousand more times! I just want to read my comic books, ride my skateboard, enjoy the summer and make as many new friends as I can. Being _responsible_ doesn't fit anywhere in those plans."

His father's scowl slowly evaporated during Mikey's rant and at the end all he did was sigh in frustration. "One of these days you're going to realize how important this is, Michelangelo. Family looks out for each other. I just need you to do that for your siblings."

Mikey snorted. "Whatever." His face then suddenly softened. He didn't want to leave his father with an argument. "Sorry, I didn't mean that." Mikey sighed. "I'll do my best. See you in eight weeks, Dad."

Mr. Daniels smiled slightly and gently pulled his eldest son into a quick hug. "Thanks. Be good and have fun, son."

Mikey nodded and watched as his father released him and walked over to where the Twins were waiting for him. Milo and Melo caught him staring and waved back at him with a big smile on their faces. The blonde-haired boy waved back but only half-heartedly, his good spirits having been brought down by the conversation with his father. He sighed, watching their forms vanish towards the younger kids' cabins. He loved his father but he just didn't understand him. Responsibility? Looking out for his family? What did those things even mean?

With another sigh, Mikey picked up his things and started walking in the opposite direction towards where he knew his cabin would be. At first he couldn't take his mind off his father's words but then, Mikey being Mikey and never being one who could stay upset for long, as the fresh air blew over him and the smell of lake water and trees filled his nose, he felt his spirits rise. In his mind he started thinking about all the fun he would have and he started wondering what activities he would be doing and what the food would be like…

Wait. What would his _roommates_ be like?

The blonde boy couldn't help but start to run towards his cabin as that very important thought passed through his mind. Of course they would be cool, fun and Mikey would make sure they could be funny. They might even have some of the same interests as him, and they would be able to talk about their favorite comic books, movies, junk food and skateboard tricks. Mikey thought he might even be able to convince them to pull some pranks on the other cabins, or maybe he would just pull some on his roommates, that's always funny, and they would laugh together and get in trouble together and they would be his new best friends in the entire world!

Mikey smiled. He was _definitely _having a good day.

He took the steps up to his cabin two at a time, and before long he was bursting through the door and excitedly shouting a greeting to his new best friends. His baby blue eyes quickly took in the two older boys standing in front of him and could suddenly tell that he had interrupted their conversation. That didn't matter though, because now he was here and now they could bond and laugh and be best friends and everything would be awesome. After a few moments of neither the raven-haired nor brown-haired boys greeting him, Mikey felt the urgent need to fill the sudden silence.

"So," He asked them both. "Do I get the top bunk?"

"I honestly don't care either way," He continued without letting either of them answer. "But my younger siblings have always taken the top bunk so I'm interested to see how it feel to sleep that high above the ground, not that I'm afraid or anything, just that I'm not used to it and I was hoping I would be able to get the top but if one of you want it I would let you because we are soon-to-be best friends and I'm not going to ruin it over sleeping arrangements, though if you guys want to argue over it I wouldn't say 'no' because it would be our first fight and I want to get that over with as soon as possi-"

"Yes," The raven-haired teen interrupted him, staring at him strangely with his amber-colored eyes. "You can have the top bunk."

"Really? Great!" Mike exclaimed happily, dropping his luggage to the ground. "I'm so excited to be here with you guys, this summer is going to be so awesome, I can't wait to see some of the activities, can you? I mean, I read about what they might have, swimming in the lake, volleyball, soccer, I even heard there might be some really unique things that they're going to let us older kids do and- Ow!"

Mikey rubbed his head that had suddenly started to ache in pain and turned to glare in disbelief at the raven-haired teen that still had his hand up after having smacked the blonde over the head.

"Hey!" The blonde teen complained. "What was that for?"

The teen that had just smacked him looked thoughtful, as if he wasn't sure why he had just attacked an innocent and totally defenseless fellow camper over the head but he didn't seem too upset about it.

"Huh," He simply grunted. "Wasn't sure that was going to work, but it felt right."

Mikey continued to gape at him. "Why the heck would you-"

"_Anyway_," The brown-haired teen interrupted, raising an eyebrow at the other boy before turning and placing a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "It's very nice to meet you. I'm Donatello Evans, and the guy who apparently just smacked you to get you to shut up is Raphael."

Mike's smile returned full force. "Hi! I'm Michelangelo Daniels, though friends call me Mikey, I know you guys are friends, and it is so nice to meet you too and I just know we're going to have so much fun-"

He stopped when Donatello clamped his hand over the blonde's mouth before Raphael could smack him again.

"Whoa, slow down there… _Mikey_, was it?" The blonde teen nodded and would've started talking again if the other teen's hand wasn't still over his mouth. "Mikey then. You need to slow down when you are speaking and breathe in between, okay? We can't understand you when you talk too fast."

Mikey nodded eagerly and Donatello dropped his hand. The blonde teen then took in an overly dramatic deep breath and grinned at the brown-haired teen.

"How was that, Donatello?" He asked rather loudly, surprising himself at how much he enjoyed their reactions so far and wanted to see what else they would do.

The teen rolled his chocolate brown eyes and turned to Raphael. "I give up. Feel free to hit him."

"Hey!" Mikey protested, but smiled when he saw the nearly identical smirks on their faces and realized that they were messing with him. "Geez, you two must know each other, 'cause you're both ganging up on the new guy."

Donatello frowned. "Why would you say that?"

"Dudes!" Mike laughed. "You two practically have the same look! What are you, like long lost cousins?"

Donatello quickly shook his head. "No, we just met a couple minutes ago. Right, Raph?" He turned to the raven-haired teen whose amber eyes weren't even on him. "Raph?"

"Huh?" Raphael snapped out of his thoughts and turned to the brown-haired teen. "Sorry Donnie, I was just thinking."

"Donnie and Raph?" Mike snickered. "Those are your guys' nicknames? Dudes, we've gotta work on that."

Donatello wasn't even looking at him. He was staring at Raphael. "Why did you call me that?" He asked, his voice low and more serious than Mikey would have liked.

Raphael looked at him and, seeming to sense that he had done something wrong, held up his hands in surrender. "Never mind, it was just a suggestion. Donatello's fine too."

Donatello, (or Donnie as Mike was starting to warm up to Raph's suggestion) didn't seem convinced but he didn't comment again. Instead, the brown-haired teen turned to one of the lower bunks and picked up the grey backpack that had been sitting there. He then quickly picked up a silver laptop that Mikey had barely noticed he had set down on the bed and placed it inside.

"Maybe this isn't a good idea." He said, carefully pulling the straps over his shoulders. "I'm going to go ask the camp office to contact my parents and take me home. I… I never wanted to be here anyway."

"What?!" Mikey exclaimed, not believing his ears. "You can't just leave! It's only the first day and we haven't even had lunch yet!" He forced himself to take a breath before he really freaked out. He couldn't believe one of his best friends was leaving before the adventure even began!

Donatello shook his head, walking towards the door. "I'm sorry Mikey, but I really don't belong here. I've never really been camping before and I doubt I'll like it. It's just better if I convince my parents to let me leave and-"

"Donatello." Raph's deep voice suddenly sent shivers down Mikey's back and it stopped the brown-haired teen dead in his tracks. The raven-haired teen didn't even wait for Donatello to turn around. "Why do you hate being called Donnie?"

"I don't hate it." The teen replied, turning to stare at his two roommates. "I just don't like other people calling me that. Only my parents can call me Don or Donnie."

"Why?" Mikey couldn't help but ask, his baby blue eyes watching his friend curiously. "Why can't we call you that? It really is a good nickname."

"Because my parents are the only ones who understand me." He sighed. "Look, I can't exactly explain it but I've been called Donnie since I was born. It just seems wrong for people who don't know me to call me that."

"But we can get to know you!" Mikey responded excitedly. "That's what camp is for! Making new friends, getting to know them and we're all roommates! That means we _have_ to be best friends!"

Donatello looked doubtful and was about to open his mouth when Raph spoke up again.

"You can go if you want, it's obvious you really didn't want to be here to begin with." The raven-haired teen stated, never breaking eye contact with Donatello. "But if you leave now, it will be the same thing as giving up, and if there's one thing I already know about you, Brainac, it's that you _don't_ give up."

"Please, Donnie." Mikey pleaded, accidently using the forbidden nickname, and giving the other teen his very special puppy dog eyes that always got him what he wanted back when he was his parents' only child. "We want you here, even if you don't wanna be."

Chocolate brown eyes scanned both baby blue and golden amber and with a loud sigh his gaze dropped to the floor.

"Fine," Donatello said. "Maybe I could stay for a few days."

"Yes!" Mikey shouted, running up to Donnie and wrapping his arms around him. "Oh my gosh, we're going to have so much fun, I can already tell we're going to be the greatest of friends, I can show you guys my comics and my skateboard tricks and if we even get the chance I can introduce you to my younger siblings and-"

"Raph," Donatello called, prying the overly excited teen off him.

On cue, Raphael appeared behind them and quickly gave the blonde teen a swift smack across the back of his head.

"Ow!" Mikey whined, rubbing his head. He glared at the other teen. "Is this going to become a thing with you?"

"Yes," Raph answered, laughing at the look on Mikey's face. "Yes, it definitely is."

Mikey then gave the small whimper of a condemned man which sent Donatello into a laughing fit as well and before long all three of them were clutching their sides and rolling on the floor as they gasped for breath.

And in that small moment, Michelangelo Daniels felt something he had never before felt and it was so familiar that he wondered if it could really be real. He was instantly at ease with his two roommates and was very happy that he was going to be spending the next while with them.

But there was something else, something that he wouldn't normally sense. With a quick glance at the empty second top bunk, Mike suddenly felt a tickling sense of dread.

Something was missing from this happy picture. The question was… what?


	4. Chapter 4

Leonardo Hamato watched the streets of New York City with a disinterested gaze, his muscles taut as he stood on the rooftop, not even bothering to shiver as a cold breeze brushed passed his forest green skin and blew the bandanna tails of his blue mask across the back of his shell. He knew he really shouldn't have been out this close to morning, but he couldn't convince himself to return home. Not that it felt like home anymore.

He heaved out a heavy sigh and slowly turned away from the city below him and the early morning sun that was starting to peak above the horizon. All his training was telling him to get into the shadows, to hide underground or otherwise, but he couldn't find it within himself to care. He didn't know what was worth caring about at all, not when his entire life had come shattering down around him and he had no idea how to fix it, or even if it _could_ be fixed. He was surprised that the useless organ in his chest was still beating, that it hadn't been crushed into a million pieces and blown away in the early morning wind.

He had been searching all night and still there was nothing. No trace, no trail, no hope. In the beginning his hand had gripped his shellcell with an iron fist, glancing at it every few seconds in the hope, (no, the _expectation_) that there would have been news the few seconds he had looked away, whether from his friends and father or, more preferably, from the other three who carried similar devices, who Leonardo would go through shell and back for, who right at that moment he would give anything for just a glimpse of. But no, there never was any word, and the times when he called to check on the others' search he was rewarded with the same result that he himself had come to.

They had vanished. Simply vanished.

Leonardo felt a sudden wetness slide down his face and as he lifted his three-fingered hand to his face, he was surprised to find that he had silently been crying. Why was he crying? He hadn't lost them. He would find them, he knew he would, they were just out there somewhere quietly waiting for him to come and stage one of the daring rescues that he was always known for and everything would be alright. He would check to make sure they were okay, and then he would lecture them for hours about being irresponsible, all the time hugging them and yelling at them for no more reason then the fact that they had worried him, _terrified_ him, and he would make sure they knew that. And then he would tell them over and over again that he loved them and beg them never to leave him because without them he had nothing, _was_ nothing, and he needed them so badly that if they were ever truly gone he would shrivel up and die inside.

But that wouldn't happen right now because they weren't gone forever, they couldn't be because he could still breathe, he was still alive and he was certain the instant he lost them he would know because his heart would cease to beat in his chest and no air would escape his lungs.

As the night had gone on he found himself hoping, (no, _praying_) that they had been abducted by one of their enemies, even if it was the Foot or Bishop or even just a human who had just decided to hate them out of the blue, (it happened often enough) and even hoped that they were injured or captured because that would explain why they weren't contacting him, why he couldn't find them anywhere and that would mean that he could still save them and heal them and be there for them as a good big brother always should do and everything would be fine. But also because… because it would mean that the growing pit in his stomach was wrong, and that they hadn't simply vanished into thin air, that they hadn't ceased to exist at all. That it wasn't all his fault.

A small beeping sounded from his belt and without even thinking about it Leonardo grabbed the shellcell. He flipped it open without even looking at the ID and started speaking quickly in a desperate voice. "April, what is it? Did you find them? Do you know where they are? Have you or Casey-"

"Leo," His friend interrupted, her voice sounding tired and sad and even without her continuing Leonardo knew she had found nothing. "Leo, it's almost sunrise. Master Splinter asked me to tell you to come home."

"I can't, April." He answered instantly, already turning his eyes back to the city. "There's still so many places in the city we haven't searched. I'm going to look around Chinatown, Raph always likes to go there maybe I could find-"

"Leo," April repeated. "You can't be out in the daytime, you know that. Come home. Please Leo, we can continue searching when the sun goes down."

Leonardo knew she was almost begging him, but he couldn't find it within himself to comfort her. His chest was so full of emotion, it was like his own blade was searing through his insides and he couldn't force himself to be the responsible leader at that moment. Not when his entire reason for being that was out there somewhere and not safe by his side. And they were out there, he _knew_ they were. They had to be. They _had_ to be.

"I'm not coming home without them." He said quietly, dimly noticing the tears that continued to flow down his face. "April, it… it isn't home… without them there. There… there wouldn't be anything to come home to."

"There's Master Splinter." His redheaded friend said quietly. "There's Casey and I. Leo, we all want to find them but you can't do that if you throw your life away now. _Please_, don't do this Leo. We all need you. Especially the guys."

He knew she was right. He knew he had to be better than this, but the "Fearless Leader" that they had always expected him to be didn't exist. He wasn't fearless. He was terrified. April and the others didn't understand that, he knew they needed him but he needed them so much more, needed to protect them, to shelter them, to drive away their nightmares. But he also needed them to protect _him_, to shelter _him_ and drive away _his_ nightmares. He needed them by his side, utterly and selfishly so, but so much that to do without the people who made up his entire world was like trying to breathe without air and he just couldn't do it.

Not without dying first.

"I can't." Leonardo whispered, his voice barely audible but he knew she could hear him. "I can't lose them. They can't be gone forever. April, they _can't_."

He took a strangled breath and before he knew it he was sobbing. "I'm not… I'm not _strong_ enough to go on without them. I'm not strong _at all_ without them."

"I know." April sounded like she was close to crying herself. "But you won't have to be, Leo. We _will_ find them. You can't lose hope. None of this is your fault."

"_Yes it is!_" Leo cried out suddenly, falling to his knees on the concrete rooftop as the sobs continued and he felt like curling in on himself in grief. "This is _all_ my fault! They wouldn't be gone if it wasn't for me! I should have been looking out for them! They're gone because I was stupid! _You can't tell me that this isn't my fault!_"

"But I am, Leo." April responded calmly, seemly completely unaffected by his outburst. "We don't even know that their disappearance has anything to do with you. It could have just happened."

He sobbed a little more, rubbing his tear-stained eyes with the hand that wasn't holding the phone. "It can't be anything else, April." He said quietly, all the shouting drained out of him. "The bright light… them vanishing… It has to be connected. I don't know how or why, but it is."

He flinched as a sudden wave of flashbacks entered his mind and for the first time that night he didn't push them away…

_… __the Foot surrounding them on all sides…_

_… __a small object catching his eye as if fell from one of the ninja's grasp…_

_… __the feeling of the object clutched in his hand, cool and hard…_

_… __familiar voices raised in anger and hurt…_

_… __a flash of bright light followed by his youngest brother's scream…_

"Leo?" He snapped back to the present at the sound of his friend's voice. "Leo, are you still there? Please Leo, talk to me."

The worry was evident in her voice and Leonardo forced himself to take a deep breath. April was right, he had to be more in control. He couldn't let himself be carried away by worry and sorrow, he needed to be the leader. He needed to be strong and just hope and pray that it would be enough to bring his little brothers back to him.

"Yeah, April." He replied into the phone, his voice regaining its normal strength though the silent tears still slowly flowed down his cheeks. "I'm here. Tell Master Splinter I'll be home soon. See you there."

"Okay," April sighed, sounding relieved. "See you soon. And Leo?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sure they're fine, they have each other. And we _will_ find them."

"Of course we will. I won't allow it to be any other way."

He shut the phone quickly before he could hear her response. He wiped away the stray tears off his face before they could freeze to his skin and straightened. It was time to be the grown-up, and far passed time to have to have the privilege of grieving. Of course he would continue to worry like crazy, but he couldn't let it show, he had to be there for his father and friends.

It had only been one night since his siblings' disappearance, and though it was really scary that there was no sign at all, it wasn't condemning. They were only four people after all, and if they wanted to search the entire city they would need more manpower. Perhaps some of their other allies would be willing to assist them, Leo was sure they would be, like Leatherhead or the Justice Force. He could even contact Usagi and their friends at the Battle Nexus for help with searching different dimensions in case his brothers had been sent to one of them. Come to think of it, he or Master Splinter could try to use the Ultimate Daimyo's staff to locate them, maybe even pull them back. Even if they were in a different planet or time that would work, and if it doesn't they could try to contact Renet and Lord Simultaneous to see what they know, not that they were always the most reliable source because they can't reveal anything that would change the timeline but for his brothers it was definitely worth a try.

Feeling a little better than he had a few minutes before, Leonardo took one last look at the city slowly being surrounded by sunlight and headed towards the fire-escape. He nimbly climbed down to street level, making sure he landed still in the shadows and that there were no unexpected visitors nearby. He stained his hearing for the softest noise and, finding none, continued silently towards the nearest manhole where he would then descend to the world below where he would wait anxiously until it was permitted for him to rise once again.

As he went, his hand went subconsciously to his belt, pulling out an object that was barely as large as his palm. He ran his fingers over the surface without looking at it, feeling the many crevices and flat surfaces in the design and if the circumstances were different he might have admired the craftsmanship of whoever was the creator of the piece. He had no idea what the Foot had wanted with it, but since his brothers' disappearance he could hardly put it down, feeling as if the object itself was the only proof that what he had witnessed was real and he had not just imagined it.

Leonardo flinched as he could almost hear Raph's voice in his head, telling him that the object must be messing with his mind and Don's voice worriedly warning that if he couldn't put the thing down then it probably wasn't good to have it around. He reluctantly pushed the voices out of his mind, telling himself that he would let go of the object the moment he found his siblings. But for now it was the only clue he had to go on.

He dropped his light grey eyes to the object in his hand and couldn't help but frown at the way his fingers seemed to tighten around it without his command. The bright red jewel in the center seemed to sparkle at him, mocking him and his inability to understand the object or what it had to do with his brothers vanishing. An uncharacteristic growl grew in the back of his throat and he had the sudden urge to chuck the thing into the river or shatter it on the sidewalk.

Forcing himself to stash the object back into his belt, Leo continued his way to the Lair, determined to do whatever it took to bring his baby brothers safely home. Maybe April was right and it wasn't his fault that they were gone. Maybe there was some other force at work that he didn't yet understand or comprehend. Perhaps this was all some big dream that he couldn't wake up from. But he did know one thing…

His grey eyes flashed into a narrow glare, one that few have ever seen and lived.

There was at least one person who had all the answers. The one being who had started this whole mess and Leonardo promised himself that he would make sure that that person helped him fix it. He would return home for now, but the moment the search for his brothers was organized he would set out to confront the one being that his father had always warned him about. He would need to face the leader of ninjas who had the object in the first place, the Shredder.

And the monster better give him some answers.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry there wasn't much happening in this chapter and that it was kind of short. For a while, Leo's going to kind of be the "in between" POV, slowly revealing what had happened for this all to begin as well as following the blue turtle's desperate search for his brothers. Don't worry though, once we're all on the same page Leo will make the same amount of appearances as the other three.**

**Next chapter we're back to Raph again.**


	5. Chapter 5

Raphael felt as if his head was going to explode. Sure he was happy things were working out, but seriously? Did his brain really need to feel like it was being squeezed between a giant meat-grinder? Every little instinct or information that was granted him from the large void that was currently his memory felt like a mini nuke had been fired into his skull. He was almost worried that, if this continued, regaining all his memories would shatter his mind and all the little shards would still be intact enough to stab into each other and maybe eventually poke his eyes out.

The very idea sounded ridiculous, but he wouldn't count against it. That was just his luck.

Raph was doing his best to hide his constant discomfort from his two roommates, but even he could tell he was failing miserably. The minute he laid eyes on Donatello, a large wave of heat stung at his eyes and he barely stopped himself from groaning and grabbing his head in pain. It passed quickly as he spoke with the boy, but remembering his favorite color and the name Brainac brought tiny pricks of heat behind his skull and the very fact that he couldn't remember his last name only made it worse.

He had ushered the other teen inside quickly, hoping that being away from the sun would tune down the heat. Raphael forced himself to take slow breaths and carefully countdown in his mind to hopefully calm the pain, (a trick someone had taught him long ago, he was sure) and thankfully the brown-haired boy didn't take any notice. Raph found he enjoyed talking to Donatello and didn't even mind the fact that the boy seemed to value his computer as much as any five-year-old child would a teddy bear.

The hammock reference came instinctively and without thought, though he quickly regretted it as another poke of fire appeared in his brain. But by that time he had adapted and his facial expression barely changed as the pain passed. Then, though, Mikey had burst through the door and Raphael didn't even have to see his face to know it was going to hurt. And hurt it did. Bad.

Why was this happening to him? Didn't he have enough on his plate that a monumental headache should have been very low on his problem list? It was like his brain was recoiling at every little reminder, like remembering anything was a step in the opposite direction than it wanted to go. Raph even felt as if somehow he wasn't supposed to remember, like someone or something was purposefully trying to make remembering as painful as possible so he wouldn't try. So he would block out the signals and just… forget.

He wasn't going to do that, though. Raphael may not remember much about himself before he woke up in Alex's car, but he did know that he wasn't one to back down just because of a little pain. He was too stubborn for that.

"Raphael?" The voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he quickly turned to look into chocolate brown eyes.

Donatello eyed him curiously. "Do you need help unpacking? You don't seem to have gotten very far."

Raph looked down at his still very full backpack that he had only just unzipped before drifting off in thought. He hadn't meant to do it, but the fading pain from their whole conversation with Donatello trying to leave had distracted him. He couldn't describe the sudden feeling of panic he had experienced when the brown-haired teen had started packing his things and walking towards the door. Raphael didn't know how or why, he just knew that he couldn't let Donatello walk away. Bad things would happen if he did and Raph couldn't help but feel the faint connection he had established with the brainac start to fade as he neared the door and the raven-haired teen had been willing to risk all the pain in the world to stop it from being severed.

He didn't know why, but he needed Donatello, in ways words just couldn't describe. Mikey too, but he wasn't willing to admit that to himself just yet. Every word Michelangelo said no matter how quiet he tried to be, sounded like a megaphone in Raph's ear and he felt like smacking him almost every three seconds since the moment he met him.

That was another surprising instinct. Smacking Mikey. Raph had done it initially to shut him up, but the action had felt so familiar, so right that he had begun to wonder if he had ever met these teens before. He was comfortable around them and somehow just being near them and interacting with them was bringing back bits of memories that Raph suspected he wouldn't have gained otherwise. But how was the possible? Had they known each other before? If that were true, then why hadn't either Mikey or Donatello recognized him? Did they all have memory loss? No, neither of them seemed to be as confused as he was. _They_ knew their own last names.

Or did they? Donatello had said his last name was Evans. Was that right? Didn't feel like it to Raph. And Mikey's was Daniels. No, that still felt wrong. Were they lying about who they were? Were his two new roommates somehow connected to how Raphael lost his memories? Were they responsible? No, that didn't feel right either. How come nothing was making sense in his head?

"Raphael." A hand was on his shoulder and Raph realized Donatello had been shaking him. "Raph, are you alright? You kind of blanked out there for a second."

Raph blinked his amber eyes and looked into the brown-haired teen's concerned face. "Yeah Brainac, I'm okay. Just thinking."

Donatello nodded, but still didn't look convinced.

_He's worried about you._ A small voice whispered in the back of Raphael's mind. He knew it was true without question and he felt at ease with it, like it was a normal occurrence. He could almost recall multiple occasions where the boy had stared at him with those chocolate brown eyes filled with worry and concern and he could almost remember wanting to do everything in his power to reassure his friend that he was alright even if he wasn't.

Wait. No, not his friend. Donatello was his…

_Oh no…_ He mentally groaned as another prick of heat punctured his already aching head, effectively cutting off the thought. Why couldn't the universe just give him a break?

"You don't look so good." It took him a moment to realize that Donatello's cool hand was on his burning forehead. "Maybe we should take you to the camp nurse, Raph. You're burning up."

"What? Raph's sick?" Raphael barely had time to move before the blonde teen leaped onto his bed beside where he had Donatello sat, baby blue eyes instantly scanning his face worriedly. "You can't be sick, Raph! It's only the first day! One of my roommates can't be sent home on the first day!"

Raph snickered. "Gee Mikey, I didn't know you cared."

"Of course I care!" Mike exclaimed, suddenly wrapping his arms uncomfortably around the raven-haired teen. "What if you're dying? I can't deal with that, Raph, I'm too young for you to die!"

"He's not dying, Mikey." Donatello said patiently, prying the blonde off of Raph. "He probably just needs some rest. Why don't you go by the cafeteria and get him some water? It might help cool him down."

"Water?" Mikey perked up. "Water, of course! Don't worry, Raph, I'll be back in a jiffy. Remember, if you see a dark tunnel, stay_ away_ from the light."

"Mikey!" Both Donatello and Raphael yelled and the younger teen dashed out the screen door, leaving it to clang shut behind him.

Donatello shook his head, clearly amused. "That boy doesn't have any volume other than loud, does he?"

"And no sense of personal space." Raph muttered, but a small smile still crept its way across his mouth.

The brown-haired teen turned and smiled at him. "But you can't doubt his enthusiasm. I highly doubt there's anyone he can't make friends with."

"Sure," Raphael snorted. "Let's leave him alone with a mountain lion and maybe it'll adopt him to be one of its cubs."

That earned him a chuckle from the brainac, but as his gaze landed on Raph's face Donatello's eyes swiftly shifted from amusement to concern.

"The water might help but it won't do much on its own." He stated with authority, placing his hand on Raphael's forehead once again. "You'll need lots of rest and maybe some medicine. I could go talk to the camp nurse while you sleep and maybe before lunch you could-"

"Hey," Raph interrupted, swiping the other teen's hand off his forehead. "Since when were you a doctor?"

Donatello blushed sheepishly. "I'm not really, but I do know a lot about medicine and the human body. I've taken college classes on it and I'm trained in first aid."

"Really?" Raphael chuckled. "Why would you bother studying something like that?"

Donatello shrugged. "I don't know actually. I just felt like I may have to use it sometime."

"Huh," Raph grunted, feeling the heat fill his brain before he could even confirm that he was remembering something. What Donatello had just said had felt really ironic. "Maybe you already have used it." He mumbled under his breath.

"Geez, Raphael," Donatello gasped, his fingers suddenly back on Raph's face, brushing away his hair and feeling the temperature of his skin. "You really are burning up. It's like your temperature is rising by the minute."

_Sure feels that way,_ the raven-haired teen thought silently, growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of cooperation from his body.

"You need to lie down." Donatello instructed, getting off of the bed and grabbing Raph's still-packed backpack from the teen's hands and setting it down on the floor.

"Hey!" Raphael protested, standing up as well. "What'd you do that for? I still need to unpack."

"Not with that high temperature, you don't." His roommate replied calmly. "Now lay down so you can get some rest. I'll contact the nurse and-"

"I'm fine." Raph interrupted, reaching for his bag around Donatello. "I don't need rest."

"Yeah right," Donatello answered, stepping to the side so he was directly in front of Raphael and his backpack. "Look I know I'm not your mother, but please just listen to me for a second. You're sick. You need rest and medicine."

"What I need…" Raph said slowly, losing his patience. "…is my bag, so I can unpack."

Donatello sighed in exasperation. "What are you, three? We both know you're sick so why are you fighting me on this?"

"It's nothing you can help with." Raphael replied stubbornly, snagging one strap of his backpack from around his roommate and quickly pulling it to himself.

"How do you know if you won't even let me try?" Donatello shot back, grabbing the bag before Raph could get a good grip on it.

"Trust me, I know." Raphael glared at him. "Why do you even care anyway? Like you said, you're no doctor."

"That doesn't mean I can't help!" His roommate sighed. "Look if you don't want to involve the nurse, fine. At least let me help, okay? We're going to be living in the same room for two months and I can make your life very hard if you give me a reason to."

Raph stared at him for a few moments, not quite comprehending what Donatello had just said. "What?"

Donatello rolled his eyes. He pointed at the bed. "Just. Lie. Down."

Raph opened his mouth to object, but shut it when he saw the stubborn glint in his roommate's brown eyes. Donatello wasn't going to give up until Raph did what he wanted, and he suddenly had no doubt that the brown-haired teen would follow through on his promise.

Sighing, Raphael sat back down on his bed. "Happy?"

The other teen smiled. "Almost. Now lay back." Not waiting for Raph to comply, Donatello pushed the raven-haired teen back by his shoulders until he was on his back with his head on the pillow. "There. Now stay there until lunch. You can unpack after that."

Grumbling something about pushy roommates, Raph turned his back to Donatello and lay on his side facing the wall. He felt more than saw his roommate smile.

"Do you usually act this way where you're sick?" The brown-haired teen chuckled, and Raph could tell he had sat down on his bed that was across the room.

"I donno, maybe." Raph glanced at him over his shoulder. "What about you? Are you always so pushy?"

"Not usually," Donatello answered slowly, a small frown stretching across his face. "I would usually just leave people to do what they want, but for some reason I have the feeling if I let you do that you'll end up in the hospital."

Raphael rolled back over so he was on his side facing the other teen. "It's not that bad, you know."

Donatello shrugged. "If you say so. But it could have been."

Raph snorted in response but didn't argue, secretly thankful for the opportunity to rest his aching head. Not that he'd ever let Donatello know that. "So you take a lot of college classes, huh?"

The brown-haired teen nodded. "I like learning… about pretty much everything." He gave a small sigh. "Not that my near perfect grades and offered scholarships mean anything to my family, though."

The raven-haired teen raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? It seems like they should be pretty proud of ya. Not every family has a genius among their ranks."

Donatello blushed. "I'm not really a genius, I just know a lot. And as for my family… well, let's just say that the side of the intellectuals doesn't exactly fit in with their 'ranks'."

Raph had to think for a moment to decipher what his roommate had just said. "They don't appreciate smart people, I'm guessing."

The brown-haired teen snorted. "You've got that right. My older siblings are all incredible artists and social butterflies. Sometimes my parents don't understand what went wrong with me."

"I see," Raph chuckled. "You didn't seem like a social person."

Donatello glared at him. "Just because I can't score a million touchdowns or convince everyone and their mother to absolutely love me, doesn't mean I'm stunted."

"Never said you were." Raphael said. "But it sounds like you think your parents think you are."

"I don't think. I know." Donatello sighed. "They keep sending me to these social events, hoping against hope that I will surprise them and end up being exactly like my siblings. What they don't understand is that I don't want to be like them. I just want to be like me, you know?"

Raph nodded, feeling very empathic to his roommate's situation. "I do know, surprisingly. You just wish that they accept you for who you are and not try to make you into someone else."

Donatello looked at him, surprised. "That's exactly right. I can't imagine that your family does the same."

Raphael thought for a moment, waiting for the heat and the memory to seep into his brain, but for once that day his instinct stayed silent. "Maybe," He sighed finally. "My problem is more of not really knowing who my family is."

Donatello looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

Raph grimaced, not quite sure how much he should reveal about his current situation. "Well, you see my dad has this girlfriend…"

"Oh," Donatello smiled at him sympathetically. "I see, you don't like her and she's capturing all your father's attention."

"I guess," He replied, not sure at all if that was right or not. "But you are right that I don't like her. I'm pretty sure she doesn't like me either, but Ale-, I mean my dad's completely fallen for her."

"I understand." Donatello replied. "And this bothers you?"

"No," Raph shook his head. "What bothers me is that she's a scam-artist and is only out for his money."

Donatello scooted to the end of his bed. "Really? How do you know that?"

"She basically told me. The moment I got here, she asked if I could be bought off to give a good report to my dad."

"Wait, the moment you got here? You mean she's here at camp?"

"Yeah, one of the councilors, I think. First time I met her too, and apparently _Dad_ thought we will be spending '_quality time together'_." He spat out the last three words as if they left a bad taste in his mouth and when thinking about spending time with Emma, they did.

Donatello flinched. "Oh, that's got to be bad. I'm with you on this one, she's a witch."

Raphael chuckled. "You got that right. I just wish I knew how to get rid of her."

"Well…" The raven-haired teen glanced up at his roommate's mischievous grin. "You _do_ now have two partners in crime who are on your side. And we _do_ have eight weeks with just her and since your father isn't here…"

Raph looked surprised for moment before mirroring the smile. "Oh my dear Donatello," He said. "I didn't know you could be so… sneaky."

Donatello's face relaxed into a genuine grin. "I try."

Before either could continue the conversation, the screen door swung open noisily and neither of the two teens had to look up to see who it was. Scary how used to it they were by now.

"Guys, I have the water!" Mikey exclaimed, rushing to Raph's side and shoving the small glass into the teen's hands. "How are you feeling now, Raph?" Without waiting for the raven-haired teen to answer, the blonde turned to Donatello with worried eyes. "Donnie, is he still going to die? We have to do something- Ow!"

He didn't get much farther for he had to stop talking to rub the back of his head. "Raph! What'd you do that for?"

"Seriously?" Raph rolled his amber eyes. "I'm not dying, you idiot. Though keep up the way you're acting and _your_ life expectancy might decrease very rapidly."

"Ignore him, Mikey." Donatello chuckled, standing up and walking over to them. He grinned at Raph. "He just doesn't like people caring about him."

"Says who?" Raph protested. "If he jumps on me again, I swear-"

"_Anyway_," Donatello interrupted. "Thanks for getting the water, Mikey. I think Raph will be fine for now. Isn't it about time for lunch anyway?"

The blonde's baby blue eyes instantly lit up. "Oh yeah, I nearly forgot! Come on, dudes, I saw a totally awesome table near the window while I was in there. And I can smell the chicken sandwiches from here!"

"Great," Raph said, standing up. He glanced at Donatello. "And while we're eating, we can discuss the details of our _evil plan_."

"What plan?" Mikey glanced between the two smirking boys. "Guys, what plan?"

"Patience, Michelangelo." Donatello said, putting his arm around the shorter boy as all three of them exited the cabin. "We'll fill you in on the way to the cafeteria."


End file.
